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Fat Guy On Plane Forced To Buy Two Tickets … Rows Apart

An overweight man recently flying between Ireland and Wales was forced to buy two tickets, as is increasingly the norm — but the two seats purchased were not next to one another.

Welsh man Les Price, 43, weighs nearly twice the limit for people in the range of a two-seat requirement. On the airline, anyone over 20 stone (280 lbs.) is forced to purchase two tickets — and Price weighs 37 stone, or over 500 lbs.

On the first leg of his journey, the overweight traveler had the awkward experience of being assigned a window seat and an aisle seat — so we suppose the second passenger was meant to sit on his lap? We all ought to be careful, or airlines will make that an upcharge.

Price told local media that in addition to the seating static when it came to extra tickets and being assigned seats not next to one another, he had to endure the humiliation of being forced to explain why one person had two tickets to clueless airport staff:

“When I got to the airport I had to explain to all the staff why I had two tickets, they didn’t have a clue… When I finally got on the plane one was an aisle seat and the other was by the window – in a three-seat row… On the way back from Ireland one seat was in row 17 and the other in row 19.”

Price is set to star in the BBC’s Live Longer Wales, which kicks off soon, and he explains that a work accident and being widowed have taken a toll on his health:

“From the age of about 10 I put on around a stone each year it seemed… But I was the same as everyone else, working, playing rugby, training, so I wasn’t inactive. I’d work 70 or 80 hours a week and play rugby on a Saturday. I wasn’t a layabout.”

“Then I had my accident and hurt my back, I was contracted out to the water board at the time from Daniels in Pontypool, and that really knocked me… I lost my mobility, developed sciatica and I didn’t get out of the house for three months. Even if the boys took me out they would pick me up and drop me off – and when I was at the pub they’d go to the bar and get my drinks for me.”

The situation worsened when Price’s wife died of cancer in 2009, and now he is confined to the first floor of his home due to his weight issue.

It was not clear which airline forced Price to buy two tickets as an overweight flyer only to not place him in two side-by-side seats.

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Comments

I hope he gets charged for two seats. I sure don't want to have to sit by him, those seats are already cramped enough, then to have to sit next to someone who can't fit in a single seat… I would want to get off the plane and get my money back. I would rather sit next to a crying baby the entire trip than be squashed by some fat person.

If that person is actually sitting in two seats then yes but if one seat is by the window and the other is an isle seat or on another row then why should he/she pay for two? Only if he/she actually has to sit in two seat should they pay and for those of you that don't want to sit by a fat person then move your skinny ass. It's much easy for you to move than the obese person.

I am overweight and honestly if I was flying , you want to be comfortable, so if I could afford it, yes I would buy the two tickets, but I would think the airlines should have enough common sense to give the tickets for seats next to each other. I normally just drive where I need to go. I am not as large as him, but sorry world, if I could blink and be the desire size, I would be, but like him, I have an active life, but have difficulty taking the weight off. So I don't want to be near anyone that would have a issue. I just pray that I can drop the weight and insensitive people who don't know what it is like to be humiliated can go be quiet and thank God, they do not have weight as an issue.

I had a simular experience with my daughter, just before we was due on holiday she had an operation on her knee, the hospital cleared her to fly but the airline insisted she had three seats. We didn't have a problem to pay for three seats for her, but i did unsuccessfully have a problem with having to pay for three lots of airport duty tax. When boarding the plane my daughters seats were all together but they had put mine, my wife and our son at the back of the plane and out 12 year old daughter at the front and wouldn't allow us to swop a seat with another passenger so that one of us could sit with her ….. their excuse was, if she wants anything she can press the call button, but wouldn't listen when we said she couldn't reach it or stand without help as she was in plaster to the top of her leg. What would happen if she needed the toilet and being a night flight, most people sleep so she couldn't ask another passenger for help ! All which fell on deaf ears. On top of this …. some other passengers complained that she was taking up three seats and one man tried to move her leg to sit in one of her seats that had her leg supported on !

You're disgusting Reed!! There are other reasons why people are heavy that are NOT related to overeating!!! I hope karma comes around and slaps you with a good dose of the FATS and you can live first hand how others have to suffer who are overweight thru no fault of their own!!! And I hope you get PUH-LENTY of cases of discrimination so you can keep it first and foremost in your tiny, pea size brain!! Ignorant idiot.

It has nothing to do with whether the seats are next to each other or not it has to do with the weight limit that an airplane can safely fly with, if the plane is overloaded then it is a danger to everyone on the ground and in the plane for an overweight plane can crash.

Susan Rasmussen, sorry to disappoint you, but getting fat just won't happen to me. I have no bad karma, not because karma doesn't exist, which it doesn't, but because I don't let bad things happen to me.

I had to buy two tickets one for me and one for my 24month old baby. I wanted to carry him on my lap the whole way, but they insisted I had to purchase 2 tickets. Onboard the plane they were overbooked and the stewardess asked me if I could sit him on my lap so this gent could have a seat on the plan. I felt kinda bad for the gentleman, but I told the stewardess NO. I figured if I had to buy the seat so I shouldn't give it away for nothing.

Joan Wilcox so when a person pays for two seats does the other seat (if not next to the person) empty? and even so they are paying for two they should be together so that person can sit comfortable and without making others uncomfortable weight limit or not

I think if a person is obese where they need a larger sit then they should have an area in the plan with at least 10 seats that are oversized , so they also can enjoy there flight, I am sure they would pay more for the seat , but pay for two seats is not fair , charge 1 and a half the price not double that is discrimination on over weight people , that may be over weight because of health problems , you never know why some one over weight . Take a very , very under weight person and place her in a seat on the airline , and she only takes up 1/2 the seat are you going to charge them 1/2 the price of the reg. ticket price ? so I suggest you think about larger seats on airline jets and charge another 1/2 ticket price and I am sure they will be fine with that , cause they want to be compy to.

I agree that the seats should be together but that is not the reason that they have to pay for the extra seat, it is because of the weight limit restrictions of safe flying of the aircraft. As all transportation vehicles have weight restrictions on them for safe operations this is for the safety of the public and has nothing to do with who is comfortable.

Michael Reed Susan Rasmussen, sorry to disappoint you, but getting fat just won't happen to me. I have no bad karma, not because karma doesn't exist, which it doesn't, but because I don't let bad things happen to me.

hate to say this dude (actually i dont ) but bad things will be happening to everyone soon enough…and you are no one special that you are exempt from it. you talk like a spoiled rich kid, and if you arent you should think twice about that. i promise you you will pay for your unkind thoughts and actions…maybe not today…but soon.

It would only be fair if both seats are next to each other, if not what is the purpose. If they say because of his size he needs two tickets, there would be a major problem if that were me and I did not get two seats next to each other! He could at least be more comfortable and SO WOULD THE PERSON SITTING NEXT TO HIM!!!!!!!!! If not next to each other, DO NOT charge him. It should be for the comfort of people that sit next to him.

Joan Wilcox the weight restrictions are no where close enough to be impacted by an over weight person on large airliners. Another reason that I hate airlines in regards to buying two seats, is that they don't allow you to earn double the miles for the second seat (you only get miles on one seat so therefore it takes you twice as much to earn a free flight) so you aren't getting double really, only in some aspects. You also don't get extra baggage allowance, etc, etc.

That is bull, if it were true, they would be weight every passenger on the plane and dictating where they sat based on this. Unless you are in a very small aircraft (think a 4 person prop plane), the weight distribution is not that sensitive of an issue.

the thing that people do not realize about large airliners is that they also transport airfreight and much of that will put the limit of weight to the closer range of maximum safety, it is just not the passengers and their baggage that the commercial airlines transport.

Well Priscilla..that hardly seems fair. As u call it "SKINNY ASS" people may have put some work into being small, thin, or petite.So why should we have to change our seat because someone else eats themselves into oblivion while others are dieting and working their "skinny asses" off at the gym.. I will agree the obese person should have their two seats adjoining but why the hell does that become a "skinny" persons problem…I think your thoughts are a little bit confused.

agree w/ Michael Reed. A crying baby would be a hard thing too (especially if was a long flight) however being squashed into a seat by an obese person is just WRONG..at least a crying baby doesn't understand what they are doing..that is up to the parents to be considerate enough to attempt to quite the child.

I too feel a bit insulted by being classified as a " skinny ass" by the likes of Priscilla. We don't insult fat people OR skinny people. Sometimes our body weight is genetic or caused by illness/ medications, etc. This is the airlines problem to deal with. Someone is always going to be upset in this life for one reason or another..and getting insulting towards others is not the way to solve a dilemma.